


Couldn't keep it locked away

by Indehed



Series: Couldn't [1]
Category: Hawaii Five-0 (2010)
Genre: Coda, Episode Related, Episode Tag, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-24
Updated: 2017-12-24
Packaged: 2019-02-19 18:08:18
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 14,849
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13129107
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Indehed/pseuds/Indehed
Summary: Episode coda for 8x09, precursor for episode 8x10. A bridge fic, if you will.*Five and a half days in quarantine. Cabin fever. Card games. Revelations.This is Steve and Danny facing up to what it really means when they say 'I love you'.Tani glanced between them, reading the room a little more and worrying slightly. "Wait, you guys are both… because I kind of assumed you were right off the bat. Then Grover said I was wrong and I figured, well he's known you longer. But Junior and I were talking and he mentioned that the walls were kind of thin at your house…" Junior was wide-eyed at being brought into it and seemed to move his hands as if to shush Tani but it was too late."Steven?" Danny asked almost sweetly, which was an indicator that Steve should be wary. " The walls are thin?""I forgot about that," Steve said, contrite.





	Couldn't keep it locked away

**Author's Note:**

> My entry into the expanse of fics that surround these episodes.  
> My plan is to cover all three (8x09, 8x10 and 8x11) and this is part one with more to follow.
> 
> This is also my 100th Hawaii Five-0 fanfic. So a bit of a milestone! I hope it's not terrible. I thought the fic would write itself but you have no idea how hard it is to work out how they passed the time over five days essentially locked in a room together.  
> So much for getting the whole thing done for Christmas as I hoped. That would have made sense considering 8x11. Oh well!

The relief that flooded through Steve hit him like the waves he'd just been battered by. Dripping wet and shivering, he took a moment to thankfully gaze at the syringes of antidote before his eyes settled on his partner; out of it, nearly unconscious and bundled up on the couch. 

"Here," he handed the first one to Tani and then grabbed another to hand to Junior. "Inoculate each other. I'll take care of me and Danny, alright?"

The pair nodded and sat back while Steve grabbed the last two syringes and scooted closer to Danny. He took a breath and pulled down the covers that were tightly wrapped around his friend. He undid more of the buttons of his shirt so that he could more easily yank down the material from the neck rather than trying to roll the sleeves up further. 

Finding a decent patch of clammy skin, he forced his numbing fingers to work long enough to press the needle into Danny's arm and empty the vial, all while the other man lay distressingly quiet beside him. He then lifted the second syringe and emptied the contents into his own arm. 

Hoping that all of them were out of the woods, he sagged against the couch. He leaned his arm over Danny's chest where he could feel the steady heartbeat underneath and he laid his forehead on Danny's shoulder as everything went black.

...

He had no idea how long it had been, but the storm continued to rage, the wind whipped around the open door and he was still soaking wet but there were fingers carding through his hair gently. 

"Hey, babe," Danny's voice croaked out. 

Steve groaned as he lifted his head. "Hey , buddy. How you feeling?"

"Like I took a few steps back from death's door. You look terrible. Junior said you went for a midnight swim."

"Well, it's such a nice night," Steve answered and smiled at their light humor. He scrubbed at his face as he heard Danny mumble that he was an idiot.

"Seriously, babe, you gotta stop for a second and lay down or something. We've got SuperSEAL 2.0 around the place to do the heavy lifting right now. You're not indestructible and I hate to be the one to remind you that all that radiation you got hit with doesn't help."

"Says the guy who's lying on the couch and has been out of it more than the rest of us. The radiation poisoning is completely different, it's not a factor," he waved off, even though he had no medical knowledge to say either way. He just wasn't going to let Danny win anything.

"Shut up. My lungs were shot to hell by sarin and you know that. I was a lot younger then and I bounced back like a pro but it still fucked me ten ways from Sunday. Excuse me for having been through this kind of bio-weapon shit before and succumbing to it more quickly."

Steve rubbed his hands together to keep the circulation going but he knew that being as wet as he was, he needed to get out of his clothes. He stripped his t-shirt off quickly then got to work on his shoe laces. Danny watched as Steve then shuffled out of his cargos. The blanket he'd used earlier was still lying nearby. 

"What are you doing?" Danny finally asked before beckoning Steve to the couch. "Come here."

Steve crawled back over and clambered onto the couch. He sat in the corner of the L-shaped seat and stretched his legs out before covering himself in the blanket and cuddling into it. Danny moved up until his head was resting on Steve's chest like a pillow, his body on the other half of the sofa. 

Stretching his neck into a bit of a contortion, Steve took the opportunity to lean forward enough to kiss Danny's forehead before he lay back, eyes tightly closed as he concentrated on breathing and willing his body to stave off the virus.

"Junior took your earpiece when you passed out," Danny told him as he turned to face him better, curling up and running one hand up and down Steve's arm to try and help warm him up. "He spoke to Lou, they said CDC is going to get out here as soon as the storm passes. Probably gotta wait a few more hours until sunrise."

Steve nodded to let Danny know he'd heard him. "Speaking of Junior - and Tani - where'd they go?"

"I dunno. Probably to find somewhere else to lie down. We're kind of hogging the couch here."

"Okay," Steve breathed, a hand running through Danny's hair as they lay together. "Five minutes then I'll get up and find something to wear that's dry."

Danny shook his head, or at least, it felt like he did. Steve kept his eyes closed.

"Just get some sleep. Idiot."

"Love you."

*

Day One

*

The CDC arrived quickly once the waters had calmed. All four of them had been given medical scrubs to change into so that their clothes could be destroyed and they were then roped down hazmat suits to wear. Worried about the possibility the virus was still somewhere in their system and could affect others, the news was broken to them that they'd need to spend up to 7 days in quarantine at King's Medical. 

Danny bit his tongue after an initial annoyance but he knew there was no other way, so why fight it? He'd asked Lou and Jerry to do their best in informing Rachel and the kids about everything and Tani asked that her brother be told what was going on. In both cases they wanted their family to be treated to the most optimistic retelling of what had happened.

Once the team had donned the hazmat suits, the CDC had allowed them to board the helicopter. The boat was now theirs to deal with and Danny had no idea what they were going to do with it - burn it, sink it or just manage some kind of decontamination? Whatever, he still had a headache, he still felt dizzy and unsteady, he still felt like he was oscillating between fever and chills so he hadn't paid a lot of attention to anything that wasn't really about him and what was happening to the team.

And all he heard was quarantine. Seven days. Possible carriers. Virus. Spread. Infect.

They were ushered securely into King's and taken to the east wing where there was an entire quarantine section. He hadn't known such a thing existed before, but why should he? This may not be his first encounter being exposed to a bio-weapon, but it was his first infectious one. 

Once inside the multitude of doors, they were told by the doctor that they could take the hazmat suits off and that they'd be able to get better clothes supplied by the hospital for them if they gave them the right sizes for sweat pants and t-shirts. And they could have some personal affects brought in from home - things to entertain them or things to just make them feel better.

The doctor then gave them an introduction to the unit. He was going to monitor them himself - he'd been inoculated but he'd be donning a hazmat suit each time he entered and all the equipment he needed was there. They'd have food and drink provided by the hospital just like any other patients but they were to feel free to request more and apart from that they were to make themselves at home.

"Because everyone's home is so sterile," Danny muttered as the doctor left them alone. He still wasn't completely with it. He knew he was still pale and the others didn't look great either but at least the antidote was working because they were beginning to look the same as they had maybe a few hours after they'd been exposed and they'd still been able to function.

"It could be worse, Danny. You could be dead right now with blood dripping out your nose and eyes," Steve said, lethargy still affecting him as well.

"That's true."

"Of course, seven days with you is probably my biggest challenge since BUD/s."

"Shut up. You love my company. If you didn't, you wouldn't come over to my house so much."

"I come over to play race car with Charlie and help Grace with her chemistry homework," Steve tried to reason but not even the SEAL himself bought the excuses. And he shouldn't. Because both of them knew that for the last few months, Steve had been coming by more often when the kids **weren't** around and they'd spent a decent amount of that time naked and in the same bed.

Tani had wandered away but then came back to the main room. "Guys, there's only one bathroom. And only one bedroom."

"We're sharing?" Steve asked and then walked to where Tani had just been. Everyone followed suit until the four of them were standing around just inside the doorway to the bedroom, leaning on the walls for support. Tani was right - it was the only one. There were four cots inside with three lined down one wall and the fourth perpendicular at the bottom of them. 

"This is fine," Danny reasoned though his teeth were gritting. "We can do this. It's like summer camp or something."

"How many summer camps did you go to where the girls shared with the boys?" Tani asked. 

"We're all grown ups here, it's just sleeping," Steve said.

"I don't snore. And Steve doesn't snore," Danny pointed out and Tani and Junior's gazes flickered to each other. Danny realized what he'd said and how it raised a question but the answer could easily be innocuous so he glossed over it. "Junior?"

"No, sir."

"See, all good," Danny pointed out. "So unless the 'girl' snores, we're gonna be fine."

"Okay, well, I'm taking the bed in the corner," she pointed to the one nearest the door. "It's further from the other three."

Danny glanced at the two SEALs. "I call dibs on the other corner one," he said, pointing to the bed at the other end. 

"I'm sorry, you call dibs?" Steve asked, wrinkling his nose. 

"You heard me," Danny said as he wandered over and sat down on it, swinging his legs up and lying to look up at the ceiling. 

Steve followed and looked down on him, hands on his hips. "That's the bed I wanted," he practically pouted. 

"Too late. Dibs were called."

"Well, I call dibs on the driver's seat of the Camaro for the next year, how about that."

"You already drive my car, that's not much of a threat," Danny answered. "And considering that, maybe it's time you let me choose something for once."

"I let you choose things all the time!"

"No you don't. You offer and you ask what I want and then you decide to do something else instead. That's not letting me choose that's railroading."

Steve could argue back but none of them were up to full speed and instead, the SEAL just rubbed at his constant headache again. By the time he turned around it was to find that Junior was now sitting on the bed that was along the side and Tani was on the one she'd claimed, which left the middle bed for Steve.

Steve reluctantly sat on it, still acting like a five year old who would be throwing a tantrum if he wasn't worn down and sick. Junior took one look at him and straightened, standing from the bed. "Sir, if you prefer this one-"

"No, sit down, Junior," Steve waved him off. "I'm fine here. Besides, the angle that bed is at puts you in the radius of Danny's smelly feet so…"

"Hey, my feet do not smell!" Danny argued. "Yours do!"

"Oh, that's real mature," Steve turned to his partner. "You wear patent leather shoes. Those keep the heat and moisture in. There's a reason I've been saying to you for years that you need to wear something more suited to the Hawaiian climate."

"Excuse me, this from the guy who chases after bad guys wearing combat boots?" Danny's arms flailed, getting into full rant. "I'll have you know I take care of my feet. I even have one of those foot spa bath things that I use on days after you've made me run all over the islands."

"Guys, it's been fifteen minutes."

Steve was just breathing to respond when they were interrupted by Tani. Both men turned their heads to look at her and there was an empty pause. 

"We're going to be in here for a week," she continued. "You maybe want to pace yourself with the domestics?"

"You wanna go?" Junior asked her and she nodded to him as they both left the room together. 

Danny looked at Steve accusingly. "See what you did?"

"What _**I**_ did??"

"You made it awkward. Now just shut up," he staved off any reaction Steve would have and then turned to curl up on the bed. "I'm going to have a nap. Wake me when the doctor comes back to see us."

*

Although the results clearly showed they had the virus still in them, the doctor had been pleased and hoped they wouldn't be in isolation for the full seven days, though he had said Danny was slow to respond and he got the impression that the other three would remain with him if he was last to gain clearance. 

Shooting down the accusation that it was because he was 'old', it had prompted a lunchtime story session with Danny relating the tale of how he'd been poisoned. That helped them while away the rest of the afternoon as it had lead onto some more stories from Five-0's illustrious past, but it had also tired Danny out and he'd taken another nap late afternoon. 

Tani had woken him when dinner arrived.

For a first day in isolation, it seemed to go quickly and no one had felt the need to murder one of the others so it counted as a good day. Of course, Danny had slept for most of it and he suspected the others had taken intervals to sleep it off as well.

That evening they'd watched a couple of movies and had even been sent in some popcorn and soft drinks (they weren't allowed alcohol - something vehemently argued for considering they were locked up together for a while) before they went to bed early. 

And that was when they learned that Tani did, in fact, snore.

*

Day Two

*

The morning routine was full of politeness - mostly from Junior. Tani was ribbed for snoring but at least it had only been for a short while until she'd rolled over and her breathing had become easier. 

In punishment, she somehow got relegated to last person into the shower and she was not happy about that once she saw the state of it. 

Breakfast was eaten and then they were finally all given their cell phones back. As soon as he had his in hand, Danny immediately disappeared into the bedroom where he halted for a moment, seeing that all four beds had been made and all with perfect hospital corners. 

He knew it wasn't him or Tani - both of them had left theirs in a mess before breakfast. Steve would likely make his but the idea that he'd voluntarily do anyone else's just seemed incredibly _**un**_ likely. Ah, Junior. Still eager to please and still with that edge of the robotic military man that Danny had spent years corroding out of Steve. It made sense. He'd need to thank the kid later. And maybe see about starting him on a steady diet of de-SEALing. 

But right now he needed to dial Grace's number and talk to her and her little brother. About a half an hour into their conversation, Steve appeared at the door and demanded he get a chance to talk to the kids, too. They sat on the bed side by side and Danny listened to Steve's end of the conversation and heard bits and pieces of the words warbling into the SEALs ear from the phone. 

"Are you done yet? You're going to use up all the battery," Danny told him. 

Steve checked. "It's still got about 40 percent, don't get all twisted up about it. Grace, no, I'm talking to your father… yeah, I know but Danno worries… sure, I'm taking care of him... no, of course not, we were never in any danger…"

*

"Danno!!"

"Hey! There they are!" Danny answered as he approached the doors to their lock box and smiled through to where his kids were standing.

"Why can't we come in?" Charlie asked.

"I told you. Danno's sick and if we go in there with him and Uncle Steve then we might get sick, too," Grace explained to him.

Danny was just glad he was seeing them, even if it was behind glass. He was supposed to be taking care of them for the next few days before Rachel took them to the mainland to visit relatives ahead of the holiday season. Rachel wasn't really big into Christmas, and Danny had been lucky that things had gone well with her the last few years and he'd been able to have the kids for Christmas Eve into Christmas Day before they went back to Rachel's later that day and stayed with her through Boxing Day and to the new year. The arrangement worked fine - Danny got the important Christmas morning and Rachel got the day Americans didn't care about. He'd then pick them up again on New Year's Day and spend the rest of their winter break with them.

"Hey little buddy! Gracie!" Steve interrupted, joining them. "I'm touched you came to see me. You're our first visitors."

"They came to see me. I'm their father," Danny argued and Charlie giggled while Grace tried to act like a grown up (or like her mother, anyway) though the smile on her face betrayed her mirth.

"And I'm their favorite uncle," Steve argued back.

"Actually, Jerry is the one helping out right now, not you, so he's currently **my** favorite of their uncles and that's what matters," Danny said, pointing to their friend. Though Rachel was keeping the kids for longer now that Danny wasn't getting his time with them, she still needed last minute babysitting done while she worked during the day and Jerry had volunteered to help out. They'd visit while they could and Danny would get to say goodbye to them before they left for their vacation, but he didn't want them staying for too long in the hospital. Grace would worry - she was older and she understood more. But Charlie would get really bored and Danny would feel guilty for bringing his kids into this environment.

"Don't listen to him," Steve told the kids. "He's just grumpy because he's still feeling sick. Did you bring what I asked for?"

"Yeah," Charlie said, almost a little shy before he turned to Jerry who took the bag off his shoulders and allowed Charlie to rake in it. The young boy walked as close as he could to the glass and lifted up what he'd brought. 

"What you got there, buddy?" Danny asked, crouching lower to get a head on look.

"Uncle Steve said it would make you feel better. It's from beside your bed," he said and Danny recognized the frame and the picture inside. His two kids together on a day out. It was his favorite picture of them and he really wished they'd stop growing and stay like that forever. 

"You brought this for me?" he asked Charlie then turned his head up to where Steve was smiling. "You asked them to bring this for me?"

"So that your room here was less rile," Charlie said.

"Sterile," Grace corrected him and Charlie tried the word out again. 

"I'm touched. And you know it's going right beside my bed here so I wake up next to it every morning. How about that?"

"Dad, you don't look so good. Are you sure you're okay?" Grace asked, concern evident. 

"We're going to be fine, monkey. It just takes a couple of days to clear our systems. There's nothing to worry about."

"Uncle Steve?"

"Gracie, I told you I'd take care of him and I will. I promise, Danno's going to be good as new in a couple of days and once you get back for Christmas it'll be like this never happened," Steve told her. 

Danny ducked his head a moment. Sometimes Steve knew exactly what to say. And the gesture of asking Grace and Charlie to bring the photograph along with everything else Jerry had brought was the kind of thing that made him love the goof even more. Out of everyone, not just on the island, but _anywhere_ , Steve was the guy who'd think to do it. 

*

After a really boring hospital food lunch, they'd all played a couple of hands of gin with the deck of cards Jerry had brought them. They'd eventually tired of the game and Junior had decided he'd try and get some kind of work out in (he was clearly the first to feel better enough for it) and Tani went to read a book on her bed. 

That left Steve and Danny alone in the 'living area', sitting close and narrowly avoiding asking each other what they wanted to do next lest it degenerate into 'I dunno, what do you want to do?'.

"Thank you for what you did with the picture. I appreciate it," Danny started.

"You're welcome. I know how much that one means to you."

"And it made Charlie feel like he was helping, you know? He needed that. Grace, too."

"No problem. I got you, buddy," Steve answered as he squeezed Danny's thigh, leaving his hand there, comfortably edging towards his groin. "How are you feeling, anyway?"

"I'm not ready to run a marathon or anything, but I'm good."

Steve scoffed. "You'd never run a marathon even if you were one hundred percent."

"Well, that's because I'm sensible," he answered. 

"You know, it's not too bad in here," Steve said. "Could use a little more privacy, but other than that, it's not a bad way to spend a few days."

"Says the guy who's probably spent days in a fox hole, close quarters, in some far flung, war torn country. For you this is nothing. I dunno. If only we had some kind of kitchen we could maybe use the time to try out some stuff for the restaurant or something."

Steve moved his hand from Danny's thigh and spread his arm across the back of the couch and behind Danny's head. "It would be nice to have some kind of gym equipment maybe. Something to keep the body active while we're in here. The rate at which we're feeling physically fit again means we'll all get restless."

"Missing your morning swim to China and back?"

"Something like that. But it's just a week, maybe less if we're lucky. We'll see how the tests go and then we'll be back to our normal routines in no time."

"Good. Being cooped up in here is one thing. It's completely different being in here with you. I mean, having Tani and Junior around is actually probably helping because they don't know us so well yet and it's tempering our behavior but I know that too much time with you will drive me insane."

Steve scoffed again. "Impossible. You love me."

"That's not- look, there's a saturation point, okay? We've seen it before. The last time we went on a long stakeout together we almost ripped each others' heads off in frustration. This is the same thing. We're stuck somewhere together, in each others' pockets and there's no where to be alone or blow off steam."

"You've got a point. But things have changed since then. A lot has happened."

"You think because we-" he stopped himself and looked around before lowering his voice. "You think because we started sleeping together that I won't want to murder you in your sleep?"

Steve kept his voice equally low and he twisted towards Danny more, crossing his legs in his direction. "Partly, yes. I don't think you're going to kill the person who gives you amazing orgasms. But I was talking about everything that's happened since then. You found out about Charlie being yours for one. And seeing you with him and what lengths you would go to for him, I knew that I wanted something like that, too. It just took me a while to realize that Catherine wasn't going to be the person I had it with. Then there was everything with our liver and the radiation. I'm just saying, a lot has happened to change perspectives on things, not least of which is us adding sex into our relationship. You still drive me nuts, but I prefer being driven nuts by you than by anyone else so…"

"That was almost sweet."

"Thank you," Steve answered. "Hey, speaking of cooped up. How's your claustrophobia with all of this?"

Danny cleared his throat. "And thank you for making me think about that," he said as he sighed. "It's okay. It hasn't been an issue so far. I don't know if that's because I've got other things to worry about or because this is a big enough space. Technically we could unlock that door and get out if we needed to. It might be a little bit cramped, but it's not too bad."

"Maybe you've actually got the claustrophobia beaten after all this time, just like your issues with water."

"That's not how phobias work, Steven," Danny began an argument but then Junior walked into the room and Steve sat back a little from how close he was to Danny, but he made the move nonchalant and he still kept his arm on the back of the couch. 

"You have claustrophobia?" he asked as he made his way to the table and started to shuffle the abandoned deck of cards. 

"Yeah."

"You know there's a bunch of techniques you could use to help with that. How much your mind is tricking your body can be overcome with the right breathing and-"

"He knows all of that," Steve interrupted. "His claustrophobia isn't so much about being in a small space, it's about whether or not he can get out of it. It's more of a panic attack than anything else and logic doesn't help in that kind of situation. I should know, I've tried to help him out in the past."

"Bullshit," Danny snorted. "Mindy helped me out a lot during that situation before when we were stuck in an elevator. She had some really good advice and talked me through it. You? All you've ever done is make fun of me."

"I don't make fun. I never do that. I might have been _dismissive_ but only so that you wouldn't focus on it and let it become a big deal."

"That's the same thing as making fun. You belittle it. It's a real thing to be taken seriously. All you ever did was offer to hold my hand."

"Hey, contact is supposed to be reassuring and is proven to help in situations when people are panicking. That was a real offer to be taken seriously!" Steve threw Danny's wording back at him. 

"Well, it was in your tone," Danny replied, just a little petulant, crossing his arms. 

"Excuse me, in my _**tone**_? I _**sounded**_ like I was making fun of you?" Steve turned to the third person in the room. "Junior, help me out here. Grounding touches. Focal points. Hell, the idea behind why people huddle when afraid."

Both men looked at Junior expectantly. "Well sirs, in moments of anxiety or triggered trauma it is important to stay present and using different senses like touch to ground yourself is a good technique to use. But on the other hand, I wasn't there at the time so I don't know what tone of voice you used."

"You see, he said I'm right," Steve crowed triumphantly. 

"No, he said he was staying neutral again, mostly because this is about me and not you and your grounding techniques."

"Maybe he just doesn't like to see mom and dad fighting again. You guys think of that?" Tani asked from where she was now leaning against the door frame.

There was a silence as everyone processed her words. 

"Which one of us is mom and which is dad?" Steve asked, his serious face still in place as if the answer was really important to him, but Tani and Junior smiled and took the question as a tension break. 

Danny shot him a look. "Why would you ask that? Don't answer, I don't want to know." After shaking his head at Steve, Danny scrubbed at his face.

Steve had been quiet again but Danny could feel fingers at the back of his neck where they'd been the whole time and he'd barely noticed because Steve touching him held so much normalcy and comfort. 

"What are you thinking?" Danny asked, turning to him.

Steve shrugged. "I'm thinking that your hair's getting a little long in the back. When was the last time you got it cut?"

Danny just squinted at Steve like he was a moron and completely missed the raised eyebrow from Junior and the knowing look from Tani.

*

"Isn't this the same food we had last night?" Danny asked as he looked at his half eaten plate on the tray.

"No, last night was chicken," Steve replied as he shoveled food into his mouth.

"Then what's this? Isn't this chicken?" Tani asked.

"It's turkey," Junior responded. Unlike Steve, he was taking his time with his food but was still obviously cut from the same cloth as Steve as both men didn't take a meal for granted. The two civilians in the room were much more picky. 

"It's definitely the same vegetables as last night," Danny said again. He was still eating it, mainly because he was starving. But hospital food was really living up to the bad reputation. "I might even mean that literally," he said as attempted to chew a piece of broccoli that had apparently looked at the boiling pot and declined to go in.

"I could really go for some spicy shrimp right now," Tani said. 

"Hmm," Danny agreed as he swallowed. "Every time someone is in hospital, Kamekona tends to show up with food. Gun shot wounds, buildings falling on us… sharing a liver. He always bring shrimp. I'm disappointed he hasn't been in yet."

"Nice to know there's something to look forward to if I ever get shot," Tani took a drink of her soda. "Maybe Jerry can bring us in some groceries or something. Even just some chips or chocolate, that would be good."

"I doubt potato chips are part of our doctor's recommended diet. At least during recovery," Steve said around his last few mouthfuls.

"You know I used to think for Steve McGarrett to look like he does, six pack abs and all, that he ate healthily. Turns out he's actually pretty disgusting," Danny spoke almost conspiratorially to his female ally. "Considering how much crap I see him shovel into his mouth, I suspect he's just got a damned good metabolism. Vending machines do not give you your five a day."

Steve sat back. "I'm going to take the compliment about my abs, and forget everything else you just said."

"Selective hearing. Another McGarrett trait," Danny stuck out his bottom lip then sat back and crossed his arms, reveling in the way Steve seemed to be trying to come up with a witty retort and was failing. He then pointed at the other man again. "He keeps MREs in stock in his cupboards. Junior, you been digging into those while staying with him? I'm just curious as to whether Steve's weird or if every SEAL is."

Junior smiled at Danny. "No, sir. I think most of us would be happy to never eat another one again."

"Interesting," Danny nodded his head.

Steve's shoulders rose in defense. "I like them."

"Just another example of Steve McGarrett's lack of taste. Why on Earth I thought to go into the restaurant business with you is unbelievable. I must be nuts."

"Look, it's not just about the food itself. It's about what it's associated with. Memories."

"Okay," Danny leaned forward and put his elbows on the table after moving his tray aside. "So you want to keep associating with that? Being in the middle of some, I dunno, redacted country name on a classified mission? Those are good memories for you?!"

"Some of it is, yeah. Junior, back me up on this."

"Doing the work is very rewarding," Junior answered.

"Exactly," Steve remarked. "And you do the same thing every day, Danno."

"No, I do not," Danny disagreed. "Having kids is rewarding. Watching them grow up. Putting bad guys behind bars - that's a chore. Something that's necessary."

"This is day two." This time as Tani interrupted she was smiling more with them, amused by the bickering rather than worried. "We're not even half way through our little forced group vacation. Do you have mute buttons or is there a way to ration all of this?" She indicated over them. 

Danny cleared his throat while Steve stared his empty plate down. 

"If you guys are feeling this charged after two days, I really worry for you going forward. I can't imagine what day six is going to be like."

"Charged? What are you talking about?" Danny asked. 

"The fact that you're both acting like it's been way too long since… y'know. And being in here where you can't get any real privacy is just going to make things worse."

Danny and Steve looked at each other and Danny felt the tinge of a blush creeping onto his cheeks and he scratched at the back of his neck. The two of them hadn't told anyone about what they were doing with each other. And maybe Tani was joking or her comment meant something else, but Danny's mind supplied him with the more adult meaning of her 'y'know' and he wasn't sure what to do. 

Tani glanced between them, reading the room a little more and worrying slightly. "Wait, you guys are both… because I kind of assumed you were right off the bat. Then Grover said I was wrong and I figured, well he's known you longer. But Junior and I were talking and he mentioned that the walls were kind of thin at your house…" Junior was wide-eyed at being brought into it and seemed to move his hands as if to shush Tani but it was too late. 

"Steven?" Danny asked almost sweetly, which was an indicator that Steve should be wary. " The walls are thin?"

"I forgot about that," Steve said, contrite. 

"Junior, I apologize," Danny told him. "I don't know what you heard but if it made things awkward…"

"It's okay, sir. I've heard worse in close quarters."

"That's a story I never want to hear," Danny said. 

"So you **are** sleeping together," Tani wanted to clarify.

Steve seemed to be leaving Danny to answer everything, which annoyed him. This thing was still pretty new and Danny had been unsure as to exactly what it meant. For either of them. But more so when it came to Steve. The man was romantic and attentive when they were in bed together, but outside of that they were both their usual selves, probably both putting effort into **not** changing. Which just left Danny feeling like he didn't know where they stood. Was it a full on relationship? Was it friends with benefits? Or was there an in between stage?

However, neither of them had planned to keep anything a secret. And it seemed pointless to lie considering there was a witness in the room. "Yes," Danny answered succinctly. 

As if sensing Danny's reluctance to answer, Tani leaned forward. "Hang on a second. Were you keeping it secret? Are you both in the closet or something? Because I don't have a problem with it, and I don't think Junior does."

"No, sirs."

"We're not hiding it, we're just not shouting it from the mountaintops," Danny answered. "When it started there was a lot going on, a lot of upheaval. We didn't want to add more change to the pile."

"I guess that makes sense," Tani nodded. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to drag it out of you."

"You didn't. You have a right to know in case you're worried about how it would affect the team," Steve put in, finally voicing something himself. 

"My feelings on it?" Tani pointed at herself. "Sleeping together or not, married or not or whatever, you've been partners a long time, there's a lot of history and love there so you're going to prioritize each other in some situations. You can't regulate for instinct. And separating you would be stupid because you've got an insane track record with Five-0. It's kinda better to just let you do your thing."

"That's… thank you," Danny said and there was quiet again between everyone. 

*

Nothing changed though everyone was polite for the rest of the evening and avoided much in the way of conversation. Danny even avoided Steve to a degree, not wanting to get dragged into a discussion about whether or not Tani and Junior knowing they were banging meant something.

Danny loved Steve but somewhere in the last few months he'd lost perspective on what that was. They still said it a lot - Steve far more often nowadays than he once did. Danny had no problem talking about his love for Steve when it was innocuous. When it was friendship. When it was a familial love that just tripped off the tongue.

But he'd always been unsure about using the word love when it meant more, when it was important. When it was the kind of love that people wrote songs about or that made big bucks at movie theaters. He'd always struggled with that. Whether it was Rachel, Gabby or Melissa, he'd taken a long time to get to that point and in some ways he regretted it considering how those relationships turned out -regretted his heart being broken. And the more failed, _loving_ relationships he had under his belt, the more vulnerable he felt when he said it in that context.

But sex didn't mean love. 

Steve and Danny had been through a thousand near death experiences, all of which could have triggered some kind of epiphany moment or realization of deeper desires and feelings. But it was the uranium bomb in the jungle that had been their tipping point. Truthfully, there was nothing special about the incident that they hadn't been through before but somehow it had sparked a change in them.

Danny was still fuzzy on exactly how they'd known at that point that if they both went up to Steve's bedroom and took their clothes off, that they'd discover just how good they could be together. And it kept happening since then. It wasn't about comfort even though they had fallen into bed together after the news of Steve's radiation poisoning, after Chin moving to San Francisco with Abby and Sara, and after finding out that Kono was going to stay on the mainland. It wasn't about celebrating anything good, or about what happened when two people were drunk, or about scratching an itch.

It was what they wanted pretty much all the time no matter what was going on in their lives, good or bad. It was a notion that out of everything that had happened to them over the last however many years, the constant in their lives was each other. Change had happened so much recently - but they hadn't. Not really. Their relationship hadn't changed. It had _**evolved**_.

And that was a subtle but important difference. 

Danny took the toothbrush out of his mouth, rinsed and then padded his way out of the bathroom and into the bedroom where he sat on the edge of his bed. 

He adjusted the position his photograph of Grace and Charlie was in and then let out a sigh. 

"You okay, partner?" Steve asked as he wandered in and lay on his own bed. 

"Yeah," Danny answered. "Just thinking."

"Anything important? You can talk to me."

"Just uh, really hoping Tani doesn't keep us up half the night again. Thinking maybe we banish her to the couch or something?"

"She might be quite happy to do that if it gets her away from us."

*

She was actually in two minds about it, but decided that a bed was a better option. And after the men had begun to get on her nerves today, she figured she'd prefer to torture them instead. Once they were all ready, she was the one in charge of turning out the lights in their room since her bed was nearest the switch. As soon as the room was in darkness, the beds creaked as everyone made themselves comfortable. 

"Danno?" Steve asked quietly.

"What?" Danny answered, annoyed at midnight conversation. 

"Switch beds with me."

"No," Danny answered. "Dibs were called. That should be respected."

"Fine," Steve answered and there was quiet again but then a decision was made and a bed creaked again. 

Danny half turned, convinced that a shadow was in the wrong place and in the next instant, Steve was pulling back the covers and climbing in with him. "What the hell, McGarrett?"

"You had your chance to switch beds and you refused. I wanted to be in this one so I figured, why not?" He pulled the covers up around them again while Danny sputtered in indignation. Steve seemed quite calm about it and put his arm around Danny's waist, snuggling in. 

"Why not? Because there's already someone in this bed, Steven! Me!" He berated. "You're just making things awkward for the other people who have to share this room with us."

"No, making things awkward would be if I farted loudly through the night. They said they're fine with this."

"In the abstract sense of the word, sure. But that doesn't mean they need to see it first hand!"

"They can't. It's dark. And it's not like we're having sex," Steve pushed Danny's head back onto the pillow and spooned into him from behind, hoping Danny would just stop and settle.

"Shut up and go to sleep!" Tani growled at them and Junior stifled a laugh.

"You heard the lady, Danno," Steve smirked and Danny knew because he felt it against his neck as Steve held him close, breathed in and rubbed his stubbled chin against Danny's shoulder. It took another moment or two but Danny had worked out he was losing the battle and the tension drained out of him. Steve was happy with the relaxation, loosening his grip on Danny's waist and allowing his hand to wander under Danny's t-shirt to the warm expanse of skin it hid.

He placed a kiss against Danny's hair then settled with a sigh of contentment.

Danny's fingertips brushed over Steve's hand as he contemplated how he felt in himself. The answer was that he was comfortable, safe and warm - feelings he rarely experienced anywhere else but with Steve.

"Love you, Danno," Steve murmured close to his ear. 

"Uh-huh," Danny answered and his heart fluttered at Steve's words. And then he second guessed his feelings; unsure how to interpret Steve's loving words.

*

Day Three

*

As Danny stirred the next morning he did so with a hum rather than a groan. The feeling of soft kisses being pressed against his neck and cheek were welcome, as was the warmth of the body in the bed with him and the fingers that traced a lazy pattern on his hip. 

"Morning." He stretched and turned onto his back. Steve slipped a leg over and between Danny's while he kept himself above the smaller man, propped up on an elbow.

"Good morning," Steve replied. "You slept through the alarm."

"I heard it. I ignored it. Was comfortable."

Steve smiled down at him and ran his hand under Danny's t-shirt and up his chest before tweaking at a nipple. The action and the sting of the pinch made Danny wake further. 

"Ow!" he said, though Steve still grinned down at him, unrepentant. He knew that Danny liked it when he did something that jolted a slight pain with his pleasure. "What was that for?"

"Doctor will be up to see us in about a half an hour. You really need to get up now and have breakfast."

Danny looked Steve over. "Did you get up and shower and dress... then crawl back into the bed with me?"

"You looked so appealing with the covers half off and your t-shirt rucked up," Steve said then leaned down and pressed his lips to Danny's, coaxing them open with a lick of his tongue and Danny could taste the toothpaste Steve had used a short while earlier. The SEAL was unperturbed by Danny's morning breath and made sure to deepen the kiss, plunge his tongue in further and open Danny's mouth wider.

Danny's hand gripped into the hair at the back of Steve's head and he enjoyed waking up this way but he was aware of how little privacy they had and he pushed Steve back. "Okay, I'm getting up."

"In more ways than one?" Steve asked with a lick of his lips and a flicker of his eyes down Danny's body. 

"Shut up," Danny whacked his hand onto Steve's chest and then rolled over him so he could leave the bed. Steve made it difficult for him to get out of the tangle of limbs, happy to tease Danny until he could wriggle free. In retaliation, Danny didn't bother to pull his sweat pants up again from where they'd ridden down low on his hips. He made his way into the bathroom slowly and was pleased with the groan of frustration he elicited from his partner.

*

Doctor Keller's prognosis was good. He said they were all on track to get out early, though probably only by about one day. Still, early release was a good thing. Though it wouldn't be early enough for Danny to give his kids a hug before they left the island. 

Jerry brought them by for a morning visit and Danny had knelt on the floor near the door and had a long conversation with them before they had to go. He promised he'd call a little bit later on.

As they left, he turned to find that Junior and Tani were busy playing chess at the table and Steve was nowhere in sight. He went looking and found the other man in the bathroom, door wide open and staring at his reflection.

"What are you doing?" he asked as he leaned against the door frame. 

"I just remembered I was supposed to be seeing Odell today for a haircut."

"Huh. Did it grow a millimeter too long for your liking?" Danny asked, quick with the joke. 

"Very funny, smartass," Steve shot back at him then gave up on the mirror and turned to Danny. "He was giving me a close shave as well. I wanted to look nice when I took you out this evening."

"You were taking me out?" Danny heard the way the register of his voice went up. He and Steve hadn't done anything like conventional dating. They'd hung out together at one of their houses for the most part. Sure they'd had a night out at a movie or for dinner but they'd never phrased it as 'going out'… as in going out _on a date_. It sent a warm shiver down Danny that reminded him that he'd already figured out that he was viewing their relationship more seriously. 

It still confused him as to what Steve meant and he still worried about what the SEAL thought. The man was commitment phobic. It took him ten years to call Catherine his girlfriend. And he seemed to be repeating that pattern with Lynn before they parted ways.

He'd had those thoughts stuck in his head overnight and in comparing them to what he and Steve had been getting up to for the last few months he'd come to the conclusion that Steve saw him as a best friend he happened to have sex with. 

Midnight thinking was never a good thing, but Danny couldn't shake this one. He told himself he was happy with what Steve wanted, but a stone that kept turning over in his stomach was trying to tell him otherwise. 

Steve came closer and put his hands on Danny's hips. "I wanted to do something nice that would distract you from thinking about how Grace and Charlie would be in the air on their way to the mainland. I know how you get when they're in a different timezone to you. I have a table booked for us at Rumfire."

"I don't think we're going to make that reservation, babe."

"Yeah," Steve kissed Danny's forehead. "Come on, it's almost time for lunch."

*

Danny had excused himself to phone the kids again, though Junior was using the space in the bedroom to have a work out. Danny didn't mind as there wasn't anything he was going to say that was private - everyone knew he loved and doted on his kids.

After he hung up with his daughter, he wandered back into the living area and was all set to talk to Steve about the restaurant after remembering about some of the things they'd discussed on the boat - except Tani was busy kicking Steve's ass at chess and it was far too entertaining.

Tani had discovered that the best way to avoid them when they argued was to put her headphones on and wander away. 

"Steve, just stop, okay! You always do that, you can't stand to lose. You're cranky because she whipped your butt and now you're taking it out on me!"

"You think I'm shutting down the waiting room idea because I lost a game of chess?" Steve asked and then continued before Danny could say anything. "Come here and sit down."

"What? Why?"

"Let's play a game. Winner gets to shoot down one restaurant idea, no questions asked."

"You want to beat me at chess so you can get me to shut up about the chairs?" Danny asked, incredulously. 

"That about sums it up. I'm not a bad chess player. So sit down and let's do this."

"Fine," Danny said while Steve reset the board. 

It took about an hour, mainly because Steve took forever to make any moves (and Danny was not going to allow his brain to analyze that thought any further) but he was finally able to move his knight into position. 

"Checkmate," he told the SEAL. 

"No, I can still move my King to here," Steve said.

"Right into the path of my bishop. It's checkmate, buddy. Give it up," Danny told him.

"Son of a bitch." Steve sat back and in a show of victory Danny leaned forward and knocked Steve's king over. "Best two out of three."

"No."

"Come on! Two out of three. One game isn't enough to work out who is better!"

"Yes it is. I clearly am. You're a bad chess player. And now I get to shut down an idea, no questions asked. So here it is - we're not calling the restaurant 'Steve's'."

"What?" Steve looked up and his eyes had a crestfallen look to them that gave Danny a stab of guilt. "You can't change its name. It's bad luck."

"No questions asked," Danny reminded him, pushing his chair back and moving to leave the room. 

"Danny, none of it actually matters, you know! We didn't shake on it or write it down or anything, it doesn't count! It wouldn't stand up in court!" Steve yelled after him and Danny just smirked. He knew going into it that Steve wouldn't lose with any humility and besides, if Steve had won, Danny had no plans to listen to him either. But it was fun to walk away and let the man squirm for a while.

*

Taking on the idea that having some kind of bet with their games made for an interesting after dinner game of Go Fish. 

At first they had played for snacks and Danny and Junior shared the honors in those two games but then Steve decided to make it more interesting. It was agreed that the winner of the third hand would get to ask each of the others for one thing and the other person had to say yes. Rules were set down that if the person had a problem with what they were being asked for, the other two could veto it. It also had to be asked for before they went to bed that night and be fulfilled before they left quarantine. 

Steve won. His triumphant face was the kind you wanted to punch. He immediately asked that Junior help him do some kind of work out and they'd disappeared to the bedroom together and left Tani and Danny at the table to tidy up. 

They were finishing putting the dinner plates away for collection when Tani asked Danny out of the blue, "Are you going to tell the others about everything? Between you and Steve."

"Well, it's not really a secret."

"But they don't know," Tani said. "And from what I can see, you haven't told Grace and Charlie either."

Danny sighed. "I'm not sure what to tell them, to be honest. I've never introduced them to someone I'm dating until I'm sure that person's going to be sticking around for a while. Potentially forever. With Steve… of course he's not going anywhere or leaving their lives, but they think about that in the platonic sense of what we are. And we're still that."

"But you're not. You're dating, sleeping together. That's not platonic. You love each other."

"There's different kinds of love," Danny pointed out. 

"Well, when he says it, which is a lot by the way, he's like…serious about it. No one like him says it like that and doesn't mean it."

"You don't know him like I do."

"Maybe that's a good thing," Tani shrugged. "Maybe you're so used to things being one way that you don't notice when it turns into something else."

"Steve isn't the kind of guy to jump into things." He got a scathing look from Tani. "Of course, he is when it's chasing criminals and putting his life at risk. I meant when it comes to his feelings. People have been disappointing him since he was a kid so he's not going to rush into the kind of 'I love you' relationship that means growing old together. I'm not sure he even wants that kind of thing."

"Has he said he doesn't?"

"I always got the impression he figured he'd die young in a blaze of glory and heroics," Danny answered but then he admitted more. "However, he uh, he has mentioned things lately about what he might want in the future. You know, marriage, kids, that kind of thing. And he told me that one of the reason he wanted to propose to Catherine was pretty much jealousy of what I have with my kids."

"But has he specifically told you he wants them with someone else? And was this before or after you guys started hooking up? Because maybe he was just dropping hints at you."

"I dunno. Hints about what? That he and I are just a for now thing or that he wants something more long term?"

"Ask him," she said, like it was the most obvious thing in the world. She rubbed his arm then got up and lifted her headphones back into place over her ears as she walked away.

*

"Tani, I figured out what I want from you," Steve announced as both he and Junior came back, both sweating and Steve had his t-shirt around his neck like a towel. 

"And what's that?"

"I want you to spend the night in here on the couch. You snore sometimes when lying on your back. If you're in here it means we get a guaranteed uninterrupted sleep for the night."

"Whoa, okay, so I still don't believe you that I snore in the first place, and I want to sleep in an actual bed so I'm going to use the power of veto," she said and turned to the other two for help. 

Danny sucked his bottom lip in and looked between everyone. "I mean it's a risk because he hasn't used his thing on me yet and I have a suspicion that I'll want to use those veto powers and maybe striking a deal with you would be a good thing. But I also know the decision has to be unanimous so that will only work based on what Junior decides."

Everyone's attention was drawn to the younger SEAL. Danny could read him easily - maybe he'd learned to read SEAL faces too well despite their hardened, protective ways. He saw Junior's desire to not go against his Commander. He saw someone who wanted to take pity on Tani. And he saw someone trying to weigh up their options. But in the end, duty won out over anything else. "I say no," he said. "You do this, you get his request over and done with. If you wait, maybe next time he comes up with something worse."

The kid made sense and Danny had to nod along. "He has a point," he turned back to Tani. "Knowing Steve, he will make it more difficult next time. Take the hit now, newbie."

"Fine," she grated out. "But next time we play cards and I win, you're all going to regret it."

"I'm done playing cards," Steve announced with a smile. "I think it's best I go out on a high. I'll let the three of you do your thing."

"That's 'cause he knows it was a fluke he won in the first place," Danny pointed at him with a grin and began to walk off but Steve caught his elbow. 

"Danno, come with me a second."

They left Junior and Tani alone and Steve dragged Danny down the corridor until they reached the bathroom. "What's going on?" he asked. "Is this about the thing you want from me because- hold on, why are we going into the bathroom?"

Steve pushed Danny in and closed the door behind them, locking it. He turned on Danny and shoved him up against the door, a knee between his legs and hands pinning his shoulders. He was impossibly close, breath mingling, noses touching.

"I want to fuck you," Steve told him, voice low with a demanding, frustrated edge to it as he punctuated his words by licking over Danny's lips.

"Bad idea, Steve," Danny said in a hushed tone. 

"I've locked the door. You going to use your power of veto on this one?" Steve smirked.

"Maybe I should! They both know about us and I'm pretty sure they don't want us having sex in the bathroom they have to share with us."

Steve loosened his hold on Danny, but only slightly. "We've had sex in my bathroom and Junior's staying with me right now so he's used it there. What's the difference?"

"The difference? The difference is that we are in quarantine at King's Medical Center!"

"It's not like there's cameras," Steve scoffed. "Come on, man, I can feel how you're getting hard right now so I know you want it, too." He pressed his sweaty chest close and lowered his hands to Danny's waist where he began to push down on the sweats and pull up on the hem of Danny's t-shirt.

"Even if we do something, you can't fuck me. We don't have lube."

"I want your mouth on me," Steve told him. 

Danny licked his lips. "Fine," he said. "Just so we're clear, this is you getting your thing from me and you are NOT going to tell Tani and Junior what it was."

Steve grinned and answered by kissing Danny, coaxing his mouth open and licking his way inside to meet Danny's tongue with his own persistent one. "I want you naked," he added, using his own feet to hold down the material of Danny's sweats while the smaller man stepped out of them and his underwear. He then shoved his own down and off in one quick move.

As Danny lowered himself, Steve kept hold on the hem of his t-shirt and lifted it over Danny's head before throwing it aside. He gave himself a few tugs and then scrunched his hand in Danny's hair, helping guide him forward. Danny gazed up through lowered lashes at the way Steve's attention was rapt. 

He licked and sucked on the head of Steve's dick and used his hands, stroking down the length, jacking him off. Growing bolder, he took more of Steve's length into his hot mouth and Steve braced himself against the wall and let out a few muttered expletives at the sensation. The grip on Danny's hair tightened. Steve always liked the feel of being able to hold onto Danny while he did this. And after the last few months, Danny had learned just how much Steve liked blow jobs and it had given him ample time to learn what made Steve tick and as he bobbed his head up and down he knew exactly when to press the tip of his tongue into the slit and when to twist his hands.

He took Steve in far enough to gag around him, allowing his hands to massage Steve's balls until he needed to breathe. Pulling off, he left behind a long trail of spit and pre-cum that he then used to help lubricate the length of Steve's dick as he jerked him off, twisting his hands in tandem. 

"Do it again, baby. Take it all in," Steve encouraged, guiding Danny's head forward again and with his mouth wide open he took Steve to the back of his throat and held there, sliding his tongue against the invading length in the tight space of his mouth. This time as he pulled out, the trail of spit trickled off Steve's dick and onto Danny's neck and chest. 

"Come here, come here," Steve pulled at Danny to stand. 

"I thought you wanted a blow job?" Danny asked. 

"I still want to fuck you. That was the deal," Steve told him as he guided Danny over to the toilet. Steve sat down on the lid and helped Danny into a position straddled over him. Steve widened his own knees, forcing Danny's further apart until it was beginning to strain on Danny to keep himself upright with his feet planted firmly on the cold tile. It meant he was wide open for Steve but he was definitely not going to allow the SEAL to fuck him.

"We can't, babe. I'm not letting you fuck me when all you have is spit, okay? I'm not into pain. Certainly not like that," he said. 

"It's okay. Shhh, come here," Steve's hands felt like they were everywhere as they ran over Danny's back and arms. He clutched at the back of Danny's neck as he surged up for a sloppy, wet kiss that he hummed into. It was the kind of kiss that was perfect and messy at the same time and was Danny's favorite. He was getting lost in it, lost in how Steve felt and sounded that he missed everything else Steve was doing until a finger pressed against his hole and slipped inside with ease. 

"What the-" he broke off the kiss and tightened his whole body at the intrusion, sure that he should be feeling dry pain only he wasn't. "What did you-?" he asked. 

"Coconut oil. Good for your skin and a half decent lube," Steve said as he pressed light kisses into Danny's neck. 

"Half decent doesn't sound good," Danny slapped Steve's shoulder.

"Relax, will you? It's not good with latex but since we're not using a condom that doesn't matter. And it's perfectly fine to use it, just not all the time." Steve's finger slid further into Danny's ass and it made Danny clutch his hands into Steve's biceps as he swore. He did relax into it, knowing that keeping his body tight would make things worse. "That's it," Steve continued. "You've been so tightly wound in here. A good fuck will help."

Danny almost giggled at Steve's prescription for relaxation, knowing that the other man was transferring a lot of his own frustrations at being cooped up onto Danny. But damned if he didn't make it sound sexy as hell. 

Danny swallowed and closed his eyes at the sensation of Steve finger fucking him and the way that lips trailed over his shoulder, neck and behind his ear with small nips of teeth.

"Hurry up," he encouraged, knowing he didn't want them to be conspicuously absent for too long. Steve took his words as a command and growled as he pressed a second finger in with the first right when Danny used his own hands to stroke each of their dicks between them. Their bodies undulated together, rising and falling with the feel of what hands were doing to each other and once the third finger was inside Danny, any exclamation at the stretch was muffled by Steve's lips on his own.

"Ready?" Steve breathed into his mouth. 

Danny could only nod and he ducked his head into Steve's neck as his hole was breached and Steve's hands holding tight to Danny's hips helped him lower himself onto his dick until he was fully seated. The sweet smelling oil was working and Danny felt the stretch but luxuriated in it, loving the feel of Steve's dick filling him, being inside him, connecting. 

He slowly lifted up and down, thighs burning. One arm wrapped around Steve's shoulders while Steve answered with an arm around Danny's back that helped keep him steady as he rocked on top of him. It was slow and sensual, both of them sweating and feeling the heat build in the small room. As wonderful as it felt to be together, it wasn't enough to get them off, even as Steve got Danny to stay still above him while he took over, bracing himself on the cistern as he lifted his hips and held his core tight as he fucked up into Danny. 

Tiring, they collapsed against each other, Steve's dick sheathed inside Danny's ass. Even as Steve hugged Danny, he was thinking up how to change things. "Okay, baby, gotta get on your knees again and lean over the bowl," he said.

They moved carefully, Steve pulling out of Danny and jacking himself off as he watched Danny slide to the ground and then kneel directly in front of the toilet bowl and bend fully over. Steve drizzled a little more oil over himself and then got down behind Danny and pushed back inside with swift movement. He pressed down on Danny's back with his sweaty chest as he began to pound into his ass. He covered Danny's mouth with a big hand in order to keep him quiet and slid the other underneath Danny's chest and up to grip into his neck.

The muffled swearing and yelps Danny gave in response to the sensations of having his ass pounded were met with growled fucks and yeses against his ear as Steve got lost in the build. The orgasm seemed to take Steve by surprise as he emptied himself deep in Danny's ass, but it was like he still had energy - he immediately lifted Danny up and pulled him flush with his chest. He grabbed hold of Danny's dick and stripped him so fast it was a blur of movement until Danny was spurting his cum over himself and Steve's hand. 

They fell sideways onto the cold tile and Steve rolled onto his back, bringing Danny with him to lie on top, bodies still mostly connected as Steve's dick slowly slid out of Danny. 

"Need to clean up. Need to shower," Danny mumbled out. 

"In a minute."

*

Steve kept trying to touch Danny's wet hair and as they opened the door to leave the bathroom, Danny had to fend the hands off again. 

"Stop it. It'll dry weird and curl if you keep doing that," he admonished. 

"You look cute when it's all soft like that, though," Steve replied on a laugh.

Tani breezed past them, pillow and sheets in her arms. "You better have cleaned up in there. I do not want to have to ask for a blue light."

Both men blushed and shifted awkwardly before walking into the bedroom. Junior was already under the covers of his bed so it fell to Steve and Danny to hurry up and get the light turned out. 

Steve shuffled his way back over and climbed into the same bed as Danny again as they got comfortable. 

"Why do I smell coconut?" Junior asked.

"Just go to sleep," Danny replied after whacking the back of Steve's head.

*

Day Four

*

They were alone in the bedroom after breakfast, Danny having been texting back and forth with Grace but he was distracted by his conversation with Steve. "I'm just saying we can't expect Tani and Junior to not mention it. It's not fair on them to be asked to keep it secret."

"You know as well as I do, we never told anyone because we just never told anyone. It's not a secret."

"Except it kind of is, considering people don't know that we've been sleeping together for over six months. And if Tani and Junior feel awkward about what they should and shouldn't say then that's on us."

An early morning visit from the doctor had become a little strange when there had been a comment made about the still lingering coconut smell and Junior had stuttered out his words while Tani had scratched the back of her neck uncomfortably even while grinning about it.

"I don't mind what gets said," Steve told him in response. 

"You don't?" Danny asked. "This coming from the guy who spent years correcting me over whether or not he had a girlfriend."

"That's not the same thing. I never once denied that I was sleeping with Catherine. I just corrected the terminology being used, that's all."

"So if Tani spoke to Lou and said that I was your boyfriend. You wouldn't mind that? Or would you correct her terminology?"

Steve floundered, gripping his fingers into the book he'd forgotten he was reading. "Maybe."

"Way to be decisive. Schmuck," Danny rolled his eyes and shook his head as he took himself and his phone out of the room before they had an argument. 

*

Maybe it was because it was day four, but all of them seemed to be getting on each others' nerves today. So much so that they'd elected to eat lunch away from each other and were all keeping themselves pretty solitary during the afternoon. 

Besides talking with his kids, Danny had spent a lot of the time trapped in his own head as he considered again what he and Steve were doing and what they meant to each other. 

He 'd been pissed at Catherine for a long time - leaving as she had and breaking Steve's heart. It had seemed like she was getting used to lying, comfortable with it. And that she didn't really care about spending so much time away from the man she said she loved. That was something Danny didn't understand. As far as he was concerned, and the way he lead his life, if you loved someone that much then you did everything you could to be by their side. You didn't run off. You didn't let other things get in the way. You fought those things so you could be back where you wanted to be. Contracts or jobs be damned. That was how he'd ended up in Hawaii after all, and it was now why he was staying. 

But he began to sympathize with her. She and Steve had been 'something' to each other for ten years or more. And in that time Steve barely acknowledged what that had been. One moment he insisted they were just friends the next he was planning to propose - it was classic McGarrett to idle for so long then hit the gas and floor it. Maybe it made sense in Steve's head to operate like that but to Danny, and maybe to Catherine as well, it was just confusing. 

But just like Catherine, Danny knew that he was going to keep accepting what Steve was offering, whether big or small. He just hoped he didn't go down that same line that the Navy Lieutenant had, because the last thing he ever wanted to do was abandon Steve, especially considering the man's issues. 

"You mad at me?" the voice asked from over his shoulder, startling him a little. 

Danny had been staring at his game of solitaire for too long and he turned over more cards. "No, I'm not mad at you."

"Feels like it."

"I'm mad at myself. I guess being stuck in here is making us all irritable though. I'm trying not to get bogged down in whatever it is I'm thinking about."

"And here I thought having sex last night would help us," Steve said as he went over to the couch and dropped onto it with a thud. 

"Usually yes, it would always help," Danny said, a smile flitting over his face for a moment. "In here… I realized something."

"What's that?"

"You're different when we're having sex. When we're… intimate."

"I am?" Steve asked, slightly taken aback and clearly not sure how that could be.

"I don't even know how to put it into words. You're… more. Of everything really. More attentive, more intense, more concentrated… stronger, wilder."

"Dirtier?" Steve asked, trying to lighten things up.

"Yes, dirtier. You swear a hell of a lot more and you epitomize the stereotypical sailor."

"Where's this going?" Steve asked, leaning forward. "What's been swirling around in that head of yours?"

"When we're in bed together, when we're having sex, it feels like this is it. You know? Like rest of our lives 'it'. I feel like when all your attention is on me, when there's no greater good, when there's no one depending on us, when we're not worrying about health stuff, that you're happy just being with me and that's all you, that _**we**_ need. And then the rest of the time that just fades back to us being friends. Like we have been for years, like there's nothing different."

"And you don't like that?" Worry crossed Steve's face, he began to stiffen. 

"I didn't say that."

"Then what are you saying?"

"Just that it's confusing. And being in this pressure cooker where we can't escape each other and we have two other people in here under the microscope with us. It's just made it more obvious to me, is all."

"Danny… I love you. And as far as I'm concerned, we're growing old together."

"And were you thinking those things before the bomb? Before we fell into bed together? Because that's my point, babe."

"I don't know what you want me to say," Steve said, a dumbfounded, slightly lost look on his face that Danny hated having put there. He really didn't mean to.

He stood and moved over to Steve, putting a hand on his shoulder. "You don't have to say anything. Maybe just think about it, too." He left, going to see if his phone had finished charging. 

*

Steve climbed into bed quietly that night, but he still held tightly to Danny as he spooned in behind him, still told him he loved him and Danny answered by squeezing Steve's hand and burrowing into his hold.

*

Day Five

*

"I think he's got cabin fever," Tani said as she came storming into the living space and sat with a thud opposite Danny at the table. 

"Who?"

"McGarrett."

"He's a Navy SEAL. He's been through a lot. I doubt that being in here for a few days is getting to him that much. He's used to being stuck in a boat at sea for months on end. This is nothing," Danny waved off. 

"He asked the nurse when she was leaving if she would bring him some hair clippers."

"So?"

"I tell you, he's going to full on Britney his hair. I heard him talking to Junior earlier about the last time he'd had to shave it all off," she got conspiratorial with him. "This is your fault."

Danny put down his book. "How is it my fault?"

"You guys had sex a couple of days ago and then yesterday something happened in the wrong direction, because ever since then he's been grumpy as hell and you've been way too quiet."

"You were in a mood yesterday, too!"

"Because Junior stole my jello!" she said on a snort. "We made up a few hours later. Last night we were quite happily watching movies on his laptop. But you and McGarrett stayed so far away from each other and us that you wouldn't have noticed that."

"Look, whatever is up with Steve, is his own thing. It's not on me."

"He keeps looking at you like you're a puzzle he can't solve. His eyes get all scrunchy and the frown lines deepen and it's like a laser focus. You seriously haven't noticed the way he's been acting?"

Danny widened his eyes. He actually hadn't. He'd been so busy just trying to will their quarantine time away and talk to his kids on the phone that he hadn't paid much attention to other things. And sure, at times he'd actively avoided Steve, too. He just didn't know what to say and everything felt that little bit thorny and he figured if they just got through the next couple of days they'd go back to being normal once they were outside.

"How is it that two grown men, both accomplished detectives, can't see past their own noses when it comes to each other? Oh my God," she said then as quickly as she entered the room, she stormed off. 

He put down his book and sighed. She had a point.

*

He stood leaning back against the wall as Steve and Junior finished their impressive amount of sit ups then helped each other up. 

"Is this what passes for entertainment now, Danno?" Steve asked as Junior decided to make himself scarce, heading to the bathroom to shower the sweat off. 

"Watching you exercise? No," he said. "Watching you trying to keep up with the younger SEAL pup? That's entertaining."

"Ha ha," Steve said as he ran a cloth over his head. 

"You're going hard at it."

"Gotta keep up our strength. Being in here is no excuse to stop regular work outs."

"No, I mean, you're really going hard at it. More than I've seen you do in months, even with all that swimming and running you do."

"So?"

"Well, it can mean one of two things. Either Tani is right and you've got cabin fever. Or I'm right and you've got a lot on your mind that's annoying you," he looked closely at the other man. "Or both?"

"I don't get it," Steve said, beginning to pace while Danny took a seat on the end of one of the beds. "I thought you were happy with the way things were going."

"I am happy. What made you think I wasn't happy?"

"You said so yesterday!"

"No, I didn't," Danny kept himself calm in front of an agitated Steve but he could still feel his shoulder stiffen. "I said I was confused about what we were. I never said I wasn't happy!"

"It's the same thing, Danny. If you're confused about something then you're not happy about it." Steve put his hands on his hips. 

"Okay, well, I'm not unhappy," Danny answered. 

"I thought we were on the same page."

"Babe, I don't even know what book we're reading," Danny said, shoulders sagging now. 

Steve sat on the bed beside Danny, the lengths of their arms touching and seeping warmth into each other. "Look, I like where we are and where we're going. I don't see how where we're at is different from where we've been before. You've always been like a beacon to me, something that attracts me in, that reminds me exactly where I am and who I am, that guides me through everything. That's been the same since the beginning. And how much you mean to me has grown with time and I guarantee you that it will continue to grow. I don't understand how something like that stops."

"Didn't it stop with Catherine? I mean, Rachel was everything to me for a long time and that stopped one day, too."

"I can't tell you what Rachel was to you, but Catherine wasn't the same thing. She and I, we were side by side. But with you… you're ahead of me. You're the thing I'm going towards."

"I don't want you following my lead," Danny said, not sure he understood Steve's words.

"You're not leading me," Steve scoffed. "And I am not behind you unless, you know.. I want to be," he grinned and winked at Danny who shoved his shoulder back against the SEAL. "It's not… okay, it's more like you're the center. The heart of me. Does that make sense?"

"It was a liver transplant, not the heart, but yeah, I think I get it."

"I love you, Danno. And I guess we never did talk properly when we began sleeping together. Maybe everything else going on got in the way of that and we shouldn't have let it. I plan on spending my life with you and I fully expect that what's been going on between us - not just for the last six months but the last seven years - is going to grow. But I also figured you wanted to take things slow right now. I watched you with Gabby and Melissa and I know you don't like to rush things especially when it comes to the kids."

"Man, I'm an idiot," Danny shook his head. "I didn't realize you were holding back somehow because of what you thought I wanted or what I thought was best for Grace and Charlie. They already know you and love you. It's different this time around. I thought I was encouraging you to spend more time with them, especially Charlie."

Steve head wavered. "When I've stayed over while the kids are there, we've never slept together."

"Having a six year old is exhausting. Coupled with a teenager…" Danny said. "And I thought you were trying to make a point that sleeping together didn't mean we were more than friends, which would confuse kids who think that being in the same bed means, you know, marriage and being a unit."

"I was waiting until you'd told them about us. We really are stupid. We should have talked."

"Yeah, we should have," Danny replied. "I love you, too, by the way. The whole shebang."

"The Ricky Martin song?" Steve screwed his face up. 

Danny laughed. "Idiot. Come here," he put his arms around Steve's shoulders and pulled him in for a tender kiss that escalated until they fell over on the bed still entwined.

"Oh my God!" was exclaimed by the door and they looked up to see Tani cover her eyes, grab something and bolt out of the room again.

*

"What are you doing?" Danny asked as he looked at where Steve had his ear pressed to the wall in the living space.

"Do you hear that?"

"I don't hear anything?"

"It's a thumping noise. I thought it was the pipes but now I'm not so sure. It's rhythmic for the most part but then it stops every so often and then starts up again with a kind of a whoosh."

"Okay, big guy," he reached for Steve and pulled him away from the wall, hand wrapped around Steve's long fingers. "You really are getting cabin fever aren't you?"

"No, I just don't like hearing noises when I don't know what they are."

"Well, some times you don't get to know the answer to everything. You gotta just let it go."

Steve turned his head and stared daggers into the wall. Danny reached for his face and pulled it around.

"Hey, we'll do something. Maybe uh, maybe we can talk about the light fixtures for the restaurant. Or we still need to decide on the tables and the layouts. That one is maths and square footage, you like that kind of thing."

Steve lunged for Danny, grabbing him and picking him up as he swiveled them back to the wall and Danny crashed against it, knocking the wind out of him while Steve held him up, making sure Danny's legs were wrapped around his waist. "How about we drown out the weird knocking sounds."

"Put me down!"

Steve smirked as he slowly let Danny slide down his body and get his feet back on the ground. He shoved the bigger man away, but then he turned his ear to the wall and held up a finger so that Steve didn't say anything. 

"Damn it, now I hear it."

Sensing solidarity, Steve came back over. He pressed his body along Danny's back but his height still allowed him to get his ear to the wall as well. "See? There… the whooshing noise."

"Yeah, but…. is that a kind of gurgling noise as well?"

"Maybe… what the hell is that?"

Two throats cleared and they turned to see Junior and Tani giving them blank looks. 

"What?" Steve asked. 

"Nothing," they both said, shaking their heads.

*

"Maybe we should just push the two beds together?" Danny asked quietly as they lay in bed that evening. 

"The last thing I want is to hear you complaining when you fall between the two mattresses."

"You could sleep in your own bed."

"This is the bed I wanted. You want to move into the other one then go ahead."

"I would but you kinda have a clamp on my waist."

"Not moving, comfortable," Steve murmured, nose and stubble rubbing sleepily against Danny's shoulder.

*

Day Six

*

"Did you bring them? Yes," Steve exclaimed when the nurse who brought their breakfast handed him the hair clippers. 

"What are you doing with those?" Danny asked. "You missed a barber appointment by a couple of days. Your hair doesn't grow that fast."

Tani and Junior collected the breakfast plates and took them over to the table while Steve and Danny dawdled by the closing door. 

"Hey, you shave off all your hair and I don't have anything to hold when you go down on me, you think of that? Not that you ever let it get that long anyway…"

Steve ducked his head lower. "You give the best blow jobs, you're the one who spends more time on his knees and you're the one with plenty of pretty hair for me to hold onto," he winked. "Let's sit down and have breakfast."

Steve began to walk towards the table with Danny following. "Is there no way I can convince you to leave your head alone?"

"Nope," Steve replied. 

Breakfast finished, plates and trays abandoned, the others began a new game of Go Fish while Steve - continuing with his self imposed ban on card games lest he lose a big bet - wandered towards the sinks and plugged in the clippers.

They were getting out hopefully later in the day after another round of tests and beyond just being able to see the sun and drink in the fresh air, both men looked forward to getting home. And they'd already discussed the possibility of having that promised date at Rumfire if Steve could get them a new reservation for this evening. 

And talking. They probably still needed to do a little more talking. Laying themselves bare when they weren't preoccupied with the other people around them or worrying about how quickly the virus was clearing up in their systems.

Things better go to plan. 

Of course, the worst that could happen was having to spend one more day in quarantine. That wasn't the end of the world, but it was a wrench they didn't want. 

*

_"Hey, Ghetto Vin Diesel. Go somewhere."_

*

_"Danny! Danny! Stay with me, stay with me, buddy! Come on!"_

*


End file.
